Direction signal



Sept. 29, A G PALMER DIRECTION SIGNAL Filed April 9, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTORNEY Sept. 29, 1936. A. G. PALMER DIRECTION SIGNAL Filed April 9, 1934 2 Sheet 2 ully/#110,111"1/0 j 23 4 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 29, 1936 UNITED STATES DIRECTION SIGNAL Archie G. Palmer, Sacramento, Calif., assignor of one-half to John L. Russill, Sacramento, Calif.

Application April 9, 1934, Serial No. 719,720

2 Claims. (Cl. 177327) This invention relates to direction signals for motor vehicles, my principal object being to provide a vacuum actuated signal of this character particularly designed for use on trucks, buses and similar large vehicles, which extend laterally from the drivers seat to an extent such that it is impossible for the driver to give arm signals which can be seen from behind.

A further object is to provide a similar form of selectively actuated means to enable the signal member to be properly set at a position to indicate either a left or a right hand turn.

Still another object is to so arrange the parts of the device that while a long signal arm is used and consequently a long stroke of the vacuum controlled operating member is necessary, the structure is relatively compact; and the mechanical construction is such that the signal arm will move to position very quickly, with the engine manifold vacuum as the prime mover.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

Inthe drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the signal in its idle position with the cover of the casing removed.

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the signal arm in position to denote a left hand turn; the right hand turn position of the arm being shown in dotted lines.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side view showing the mounting of the signal arm and vacuum cylinder.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary section as on the line 4-4 of Figure 1, but with the signal arm in the position as in Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary cross section on the line 55 of Figure 2.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the signal structure comprises a vertical casing I, which includes a front cover 2 removable when necessary for the inspection of the interior mechanism. The casing is relatively shallow lengthwise of the vehicle and is adapted to be mount ed thereon back of and to the left hand side of the drivers cab, and near the outer edge of the body of the vehicle.

Disposed in the back of the casing is a bracket 3 supporting the pivot bolt 4 on which the signal arm 5 of suitable form is turnably mounted ina link H.

termediate its ends. The arm normally hangs down so as to project some distance below the bottom of the casing, and its then upper end rides on a guide quadrant 6 fixed in the casing concentric with the bolt 4. Said end of the arm is 5 formed with a flange l which is turned to engage the under surface of the guide, as shown in Figure 5, so that the arm is supported against transverse movement independently of the bolt 4. i '10 The vacuum actuated means to swing the signal arm upwardly from its normal position includes a cylinder 8 disposed over or in front of the arm and provided intermediate its ends with a bracket 9 which turnably engages the bolt 4, as 15 shown in Figure 3. A normally extended piston rod I0 projects from the upper end of the cylinder and is rigidly connected to the upper end of The lower end of this link is pivoted in common with the upper ends of a pair of 20 toggle links I 2, one of which is pivoted at its lower end on theadjacent end of the arm 5, while the other link I2 is pivoted at its lower end on the casing adjacent its outer side.

A flexible tube I3 is connected to the lower 25 endof the cylinder, said tube being also connected with a conduit !4 which extends through the bottom of the casing to the intake manifold of the engine of the vehicle and has a manually operated control valve [5 therein. 30

It will therefore be seen that if the valve is opened so as to exert a suotional pull in the cylinder, the piston rod will be pulled down, pulling down and spreading the toggle links [2 and causing the signal arm to be lowered at its inner 35 end and function upwardly at its outer end to give the desired signal. The length of the toggle arms and the mounting of the latter, and the stroke of the piston rod are of course so designed relative to each other that the signal arm may 40 be swung from a depending vertical position to an upward 45 position without the toggle links reaching their limit of spread and without the link I l moving to and past a dead center position.

Since sometimes it is desired that the signal 5 arms shall move to a horizontal position and at other times to an upward position, I provide selectively controlled means to prevent movement of the arm past a horizontal position. This means is independent of any manipulation of the valve 50 [5, which would of course be hard to control so accurately as to effect the movement of the arm to the desired position and no further. Such means comprises a dog "5 pivoted in the casing in the path of movement of a lip ll depending from 55 the guided end of the arm 5. This dog is positioned so that when in an operative position, it engages the lip and prevents further rotation of the arm when the latter has reached a horizontal position.

The dog is lowered so as to allow the lip to pass over the same when it is desired that the signal shall move to its upward position by a solenoid IS, the core 19 of which is connected to a radial extension 20 of the shaft of the dog. One lead 2| from the solenoid is connected to the battery 22 of the vehicle. The other lead 23 is connected to a contact 24 fixed in the casing I in the path of and adapted to be engaged by a contact 25 on the guided end of the arm 5. The contacts 24 and 25 are positioned to engage each other when the signal arm nears a horizontal position, and are arranged to remain in contact until the arm passes beyond such position. The arm 5 is interposed in the circuit by means of a lead 26 connected to the bracket 3 and grounded on the vehicle, with a manually controlled switch 21 interposed therein.

It will thus be seen that while the contacts 24 and 25 engage each other with each movement of the arm to a horizontal position, the circuit to the solenoid will not be completed unless the switch is also closed. It is to be understood that the valves l5 and switch 21 are both positioned convenient to the driver and I contemplate arranging them in unitary form so as to simplify the operation of the signal. By the use of the pair of switches in the solenoid circuit, one manually operated and the other automatic, the manual switch may be closed at any time ahead of the giving of the signal, without the solenoid being constantly operated from that time on and which would consume an excessive amount of current in the aggregate.v

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A direction signal comprising a casing, a signal arm pivoted intermediate its ends in the casing and projecting therefrom in a normally depending position, a vacuum cylinder in the casing normally disposed in a substantially vertical position, a common pivot for the arm and cylinder, a normally extended piston rod projecting from the upper end of the cylinder, toggle links above the arm, the upper ends of said links being connected to each other, and the lower end of one link being pivoted on the normally upper end of the arm while the lower end of the other link is pivoted on the casing and means connecting the outer ends of the rod rigidly and the upper ends of the links pivotally.

2. A direction signal comprising a fixed casing, a signal arm projecting at one end from the casing, means pivoting the arm intermediate its ends in the casing, means applied to the arm to swing the same about its pivot to different positions, a rigid lip projecting from the upper end of the arm toward the back wall of the casing, a dog pivoted in the casing and disposed substantially parallel to the arc of rotation of the lip and having a normal longitudinal slope toward one endin the direction or the lip so that said end normally projects into the path of the lip so as to be engaged by the latter when the arm has been raised to a position intermediate its limit of movement, an electrical device to swing the dog clear of the lip, a contact fixed in the casing ahead of the dog relative to the direction of raising movement of the arm, a contact fixed on the arm in position to engage the fixed contact just before the lip reaches the dog and arranged to maintain contact until the lip is beyond said one end of the dog, a circuit for the device in which said contacts are interposed, and a separate manual switch in the circuit.

ARCHIE G. PALMER. 

